


five dollars

by mssjynx



Category: Banana Bus Squad
Genre: Bad Pick-Up Lines, Carnival, Comedy, Flirting, Fluff, Humor, Kissing Booths, M/M, Pick-Up Lines, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-05-02 09:37:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14541867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mssjynx/pseuds/mssjynx
Summary: simone has a problem and can't be in her booth.smitty's an amazing friend.and a pretty stranger tries his hardest to earn himself a free smooch, with a handful of corny lines and a wink of his pretty eyes.





	five dollars

**Author's Note:**

> something small! hope you like it, hope it makes you smile :)

To say anticipation buzzed throughout the town was an understatement.

Early August was always exciting for the small population as each year without fail brought five special days of good vibes, masses of cotton candy and adrenalized shrieks of joy and fear. There wasn’t a soul within the town that didn’t enjoy the presence of the lively carnival and it brought benefits to all.

Terrifying rides, endless games and prizes to win, silly booths for all sorts that could be imagined. Every man and his dog could be found walking the aisles of the carnival and not a single soul didn’t wear a smile on their face with hands full of showbags or cotton candy sticks. It was a day for excitement and endless fun.

For Smitty, it was no different.

The nineteen-year-old had his day planned down to the second. His list of rides in specific order, break times for food and finding friends, visiting those working at booths so he could laugh at and tease them; he’d even taken walking time and waiting in lines into account!

‘Excited’ didn’t cut it.

Until he visited Simone: his first mistake, and his mental list was set on mental fire right before his mental eyes.

The second she let her eyes fall on him he knew there was a problem and when she grabbed at his overalls and yanked him back to the tent behind the booth, he knew he was definitely going to be dragged into it against his own will.

Simone was by far his favourite to tease. An amazing friend, a lovely gal to be around too, but she just so happened to have the _worst_ (by Smit’s standards) position in the carnival year after year (though she denied it being so awful). Having been through two of his planned six hours, he had decided to pay her a visit and boy, was timing a bitch.

“Smit, you’ve gotta help me,” were her first words. Unsurprisingly, they weren’t very comforting. “I’m on in ten minutes for two damn hours and Tyler’s gonna rip me in two if I leave an empty booth!” she exclaimed. He’d never seen her so distressed before and she didn’t cope with her panic very well at all. “I don’t have any supplies – I wasn’t supposed to be due for another couple of days! This is so unfair but I don’t know what to do, I need a fill-in and I don’t know anyone who can, I-”

“Simone! Stop, oh my God; breathe for _one second_ please.” He cut her off, eyes wide in alarm at the state the girl was in. He hadn’t expected this at all, but she listened, falling silent and panting for a short moment. He rested his hands on her arms, gentle, and held her eye contact. “Breathe and start from the start. What happened?”

Her fingers relaxed, releasing him and inhaling deeply as told. When she exhaled, the panic was no longer rushed but instead dressed itself with concern and helplessness. “I got my period and I don’t have a tampon – none of the girls do. It’s not like I can sit up there and bleed through my pants for two hours, that’ll be so gross. I have to go home but I don’t have anyone to take my place!” Her dark eyes were saturated with pleading and although she didn’t voice it, Smitty knew _exactly_ what she was thinking.

He took a step back, pointing a finger in warning. “Oh no. No way. Simone. If you’re asking _me_ to go out there for _two hours_ and sell my very high-value kisses for five dollars-” Smitty’s heart fell, stopping short as he watched the desperation swell in her eyes. An internal battle. He dropped his finger. It caused him physical pain to turn away, rubbing his face with his hands and letting a groan slip past his lips.

“ _Please_ Smit, you can have all the pay and I’ll call Marcel to bring you cotton candy and water! Please, please, please; I’ll do anything,” she begged, tugging on his arm to keep his attention.

All the rides, all the lollies, all the games…

He sighed, eyes shut in a pained defeat. “Fine”—Simone gasped, throwing her arms around him—“but you’re buying me a new toothbrush! And Marcel better bring that damb cotton candy or I _swear_ I will ruin you,” he grumbled, hating each word that dropped from his lips.

Desperation fell away to relief as she bounced up and down on her feet. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” He grumbled to himself as she squealed into his shoulder. Her hands were quick to usher her out of the tent. “You’re the _best_ and I owe you a massive favour!”

“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered, watching her check the time with a pout on his lips. She jumped in her haste, pushing him to the back of the big red booth.

“Okay, c’mon. You’re on as soon as Chrissy’s out.” She hopped from one foot to another and glanced at her phone again. A hum of thought. “Remember to smile and be pretty. Flirting gets you customers, don’t swap too much spit because herpes are a thing, and if you need help Jay’s near by and he’ll handle it. Okay? Got it?”

He nodded, unhappily watching her back away with an eagerness to get home and clean herself up. “You owe me!” he reminded, crossing his arms as she gave him two thumbs up and a guilty smile.

“Good luck!” Her response was not at all encouraging but she slipped around the back of the tent and vanished with a phone to her ear, leaving Smitty to sigh.

Two hours…

Angry brown eyes turned to the behind of the booth. The stand itself was a little wooden structure, a tall red-painted box. The back wall could be opened, and the front was cut out with a small bench-like surface where the worker would lean across to kiss the customers. It was relatively cosy, the inside of the door wearing the big white words of “Kisses for $5!” for all of the aisle to see.

It wasn’t subtle and it definitely wasn’t unpopular.

As he watched, the back swung open and a familiar face stepped down. Surprise switched to humour as Chrissy acknowledged Smitty standing where Simone usually would. Smit sighed. “Simone got her period. Guess who her knight in shining overalls is.” He motioned to his attire and the girl cackled, not at all sympathetic.

“Well,” she huffed a happy sigh, “Get up there and pray away the mouth herpes.”

She laughed at the curse he dropped, holding the door open for him with a smug look on her face. He shook his head, stepping up into the one-person space. “You’re too happy about my suffering.”

“That’s what you get for being a good friend!” She pushed the door shut for him and he bit back his groan, hopping over the small stool and taking his seat.

Time for a long two hours.

-

At first it was rather intimidating. Sitting up in a brightly coloured booth with a rather bold offer above his head and hundreds of people walking past him; it was impossible not to be nervous. Some people just glanced at him, some looked to be totally analysing him. Friends gossiped, giggling with each other as they nodded in his direction.

That had been the source of his first customer, a girl with a shy smile and four friends cheering behind her. Her freckles danced under the sun and he breathed in deeply.

_“Smile. Be pretty and flirty.”_

A charming smile; one he’d perfected for the sake of getting what he wanted from people in the past. It was useful as he tried to keep calm and come off as reassuring as possible as she stopped in front of the booth. “Hey there,” Smitty managed, not having any idea how he was expected to speak to the customers.

She batted her eyes, blushing at the awkward situation. “Hi, can I get a kiss?” she asked, holding out a five-dollar note and flicking her gaze between his eyes and his lips, unsure where to settle.

He smiled, swallowing. What was he thinking; his kiss experiences had been good but not extensive. He was bound to fuck this up.

There wasn’t much time to think about that though as he took the money and tucked it into the little moneybox beneath his make-shift desk. “Sure thing.”

Who the fuck says “Sure thing” when asked for a kiss?

She licked her lips, bracing herself on the desk and he leaned in. Her lips were shy, pressing to his in hesitance and only lingering for a moment before drawing back. He remained relatively passive, resting a hand on her shoulder and allowing her to be as close or as far away as she wanted.

Her shy smile formed a bright grin, skipping back a step. “Thank you!” she chirped and spun on her heels, rushing back to her laughing friends.

He sat back. “Huh.” It wasn’t so bad, though he could tell his cheeks were rosy by the warmth his face gave. Maybe it’d take a little bit to get used to it and it wasn’t like that would be a problem either. After all, he had two hours.

It continued much like that. At times he sat watching people pass for long minutes, not earning much more than an unfocussed glance. A few periods, however, had a line of three or four people waiting, money in hand and varying levels of uncertainty written on faces. It wasn’t all that bad and he found himself comfortable with most of it.

A small greeting, a warm smile to encourage the highly-nervous youths and gentle touch when he drew them in for kisses. No one tried to push things too far, no one complained and no one was bad enough to have to call for Jay.

His bad experiences were, fortunately, very little.

An older woman who looked far too happy to see his nineteen-year-old baby face in the window was one. She dropped innuendos with every sentence and left her number in his pale hand, wiggling her fingers at his uncomfortable smile as she left.

There was also the girl who looked like she was no older than thirteen, big eyes and absolutely no sign of discomfort as she cheerfully asked for a smooch. He hesitated with that one. A cautious, “How old are you?” received a frowning response but after a little bit of persuasion she agreed to pay only three dollars and receive a chaste cheek kiss. Far less creepy, he was happy with that.

Nothing got any worse than that and his pretty face drew in quite the number of shy, kind girls. He got only six boys within the whole two hours.

The first looked pretty similar to him, small and pretty, soft-looking blonde hair and a smile that only half hid his nerves. Whether it was the kiss in general, or the fact the public display of being queer, the blonde was very shy and bashful about the whole thing. Smitty was surprised at how easy he found the situation.

As the guy approached, he could tell he was worried and offered a smile, keeping eye contact. “Hey, you lookin’ for a smooch?” It fell from his mouth without much trouble and he felt proud to see the surprise in the boy’s eyes as his reluctance faltered.

“Are, er… Is it girls only?” he asked.

 _There_ was the source.

Smit beamed. “Nope!” A barely noticeable exhale of relief. _“Flirty!”_ He willed Simone’s voice out of his head. “I’m not picky.” A wink.

The blonde smiled, hands resting on the desk with a comfortable confidence. Pale fingers accepted the three coins and dropped them into the box. Smitty leaned forwards first, more excited than he had been for any other customer.

“C’mere,” he mumbled, cupping a tan cheek and drawing the boy in halfway. He let him cross the rest of the distance, sealing their lips together for a long moment before the boy pulled away.

He’d left a smile behind and Smitty ran a hand through his own white-dyed hair.

“Thank you,” the blonde said, smiling before turning away.

Another guy strolled up with a skateboard under his arm, brightly coloured hair peaking out beneath a backwards cap. Smitty couldn’t lie when his heart almost stop beating. A cute smile with pierced dimples and pretty eyes – the guy was very attractive and a gentle kisser.

Overall, they came with very enjoyable experiences. The guys were the best, though some pretty girls did have him melting too. It was far less awful than he’d expected it to be, the two hours passing slowly but eventfully. He was also mildly proud to say he’d gotten rather used to kissing and mostly every customer walked away with a smile on their kissed lips.

With fifteen minutes left of his shift, Marcel appeared with water and cotton candy (as promised) along with Simone’s message of: “You’re the fucking best and I’ll bring you pizza one night in return.”

At five-to-one, _he_ turned up. A year or two older than him, long bleached hair tied back and a pair of the prettiest eyes Smitty had probably ever seen. He greeted Pretty Boy (as he dubbed him) with a smile as usual, popping a piece of cotton candy on his tongue before lowering the stick and moving to address the guy.

“Hey, uh, do you have a map?”

Oh. Not a customer.

Smitty blinked in surprise, glancing down beneath the desk. Nothing other than his water and the moneybox. He returned his eyes to the boy. “No, sorry. I don’t.”

To his surprise (and confusion), a hand fell to rest on the wooden frame and a charming smile pulled at pink lips. “Sorry, I just keep getting lost in your eyes.” A straight set of white teeth were flashed and it took Smitty a long few seconds to acknowledge the fact that he’d just been really, _really_ badly hit on.

He blinked. The cheesy smile didn’t change. “Do you, uh… do you want a kiss?” he asked, not so sure of Pretty Boy’s intentions with his flirting.

The question seemed to be exactly what he was looking for as he leaned on the counter and beamed. “I’d love one actually.”

Smitty didn’t move. He stayed leant back against the door, balancing on the back legs of his chair and watching the boy batt his lashes. “It’s five dollars.” Deadpan. He had only a few minutes left of Simone’s shift and maybe he was supposed to be joyous and cheery with his customers, but he was getting tired and this guy seemed to have enough confidence and happiness for the both of them.

But at Smitty’s comment, his smile fell to a frown of thought. “Oh.” Smitty waited. “Can I try again?”

“Dude. What are yo-”

“Is your name ‘nobody’?” That same smile, accompanied with a small laugh.  

Smit sighed, rocking forward on his chair and resting his elbows on the bench, chin on his hands. He didn’t bother responding.

“Because I was told nobody’s perfect.”

So, Smitty may have been highly unamused by the first line… But he hadn’t heard that one before and he couldn’t deny he was kinda impressed. And maybe this guy wasn’t _completely_ boring; he had quite the nice face as Smitty really took him in. But no matter the quality of his flirting or his pretty face, he wasn’t gonna get a free kiss.

“A kiss still costs five dollars.”

The disheartened look only lasted a moment before the cheerful glimmer returned to those gorgeous eyes. Smit squinted a second. “How has your day been, sugar?” A not-so-smooth transition but not one he’d question.

He shrugged. “Not too bad. My friend bribed me to fill in for her in a kissing booth and now I’m dealing with some guy trying to hit on me with shitty pick-up lines and cliché pet-names.” His words weren’t bitter though, sounding flat and uninterested but not unkind. He watched for the odd carnival-goer’s reaction. A laugh dropped from split lips, not at all bothered or worried. His confidence never wavered.

“I bet it’s been a successful one,” Pretty Boy said, reminding unconcerned. “With a face like yours I’m sure you’ve got a million dollars back there.”

Another bit of blue cotton candy dissolved on his tongue. “Mhm,” Smitty hummed. “You want a kiss? It’ll make it a million and five.” That really made him laugh, grin on his face as he pulled the tie from his hair before retying it. Smitty watched him curiously. “What colour are your eyes?”

Another laugh, the boy leaning close when he dropped his hands away from his hair. “I’ll tell you for a kiss,” he cooed. His smile _was_ tempting.

Smit grinned, pointing at the white words behind his head. “Five dollars.”

Pretty Boy was persistent, Smitty gave him that. It wasn’t all bad, the guy rather funny as he tried and tried again with flattery and flirting that got him nowhere. Any fluster Smitty had felt remained hidden and he found himself hanging onto whatever words were to fall from those pink lips next.

“How about I strike you a deal?” In an attempt to mock professionality, the Pretty Boy placed his hands face down on the desk.

Smitty’s grin was unrestrained. “A kiss for five dollars.”

Ignored. “A kiss… for the price of a couple of shitty pick-up lines and some five-star quality flirting from Yours Truly.”

A hum of thought. “If one of those shitty pick-up lines includes you handing me a five dollar note, then sure.”

The guy turned, throwing his hands up with an exasperated groan as Smitty giggled to himself. So what, maybe he was a bit funny too. He turned back, pout on his lips instead and there was no way Smitty could fight away his smirk. The persistence was impressive but no matter how pretty those eyes were, he wasn’t getting a kiss without five dollars.

“I’ll ask nicely?”

“It’s five dollars.”

“Pretty please?”

“Five… Five dollars?”

“Pretty please for the pretty boy?”

“If I kiss you will you fuck off?” Smitty clapped his hands over his eyes, grin hidden by his wrists. The excited gasp pushed away his fingers.

“Yes!”

“Sweet.” He leaned back on his chair once again. “That’ll be _five-fucking-dollars_.”

“Oh my God! Fine!”

For a fleeting moment Smitty thought the boy was leaving as he spun around and his heart fell. Worrying that he’d actually made him feel unwanted, his grin dropped. But his concern vanished real quick the second Pretty Boy turned back around and dropped a large jar onto the desk full to the brim with silver five-cent coins.

The grin on the boy’s face was smug. “Five dollars!”

Smitty’s eye twitched.

It took him two minutes to count out the mass of small silver coins. All the while his last customer stood grinning and watching closely, fully aware that the shift had ended minutes ago. Smitty didn’t have the effort to brush this boy off. He’d come this far and tried so hard; it would be crushing to refuse now that he’d actually given him the five dollars (despite the form it’d come in)

“Four-ninety. Four-ninety-five. Five hundred.” Smitty huffed a sigh as he dropped all the coin back into the jar minus a single five cent coin. Capping the jar and placing it on the bottom of the booth beside his water, he stuck the last of his cotton candy into his mouth. The coin was cold as he pressed it into the hand of this Pretty Boy. “And five cents change,” he finished, eyes full of feigned hatred.

He looked _awfully_ proud, batting his lashes and leaning forward on the table. “ _Now_ can I get a kiss from Snow White?” he cooed.

Smit squinted. “Are you calling me that because I’m pale?”

“No.” That stupidly pretty smile. “I’m calling you that because you’re beautiful.”

Now that was bad. Smitty rolled his eyes, scoffing at the corniness of the comment and reaching forward to catch a handful of the boy’s shirt. “Shut the fuck up, will you?” And with that, he brought him close and gave him what he’d been asking for.

Maybe the struggle it took for the two of them to finally reach that point was the reason behind the tingling warmth that trickled into Smitty’s bloodstream. Or maybe it was just the spontaneousness of it all; how whacky this guy was with his relentless flirting and persistence. Or it could just be the fact that he was a mind-blowing kisser. The way he took only a second to adjust, hand cupping Smitty’s face where they met above the desk. The way his lips were so _soft_ but a bit chapped where he’d worried them with his teeth.

The struggle had _definitely_ been worth it.

These five-dollar kisses didn’t last much longer than a few chaste seconds but it took no genius to say that this one exceeded any expectations as the seconds dragged on and Smitty’s lips moved lazily, mimicking the other.

Completely lost in their own world, it was a shock when they separated. Smitty’s eyes were blown wide, while pale eyes were much calmer. “Okay, so maybe it was worth the five dollars.” He caught his breath before Smitty but the smaller was quick to catch up, brows furrowing in insult.

“Hey, my kisses are worth far more than five dollars,” he defended.

The customer grinned, hand still lingering on the side of Smitty’s face. It made it easier for him to swoop back in, capturing those awe-struck lips once again and sealing another kiss between them. It lingered, once again, but ended faster than the first and the hand dropped away as Smit once again blinked himself back to reality.

His frown was quick to reform, leaning back and folding his arms. “Excuse me, you’ve gotta pay for that! These lips aren’t workin’ for nothing; I ain’t a cheap hoe!” The laugh he earnt was well worth it though he wouldn’t ever say so. This guy was a piece of work and if he didn’t get his-

“What’s your name?” Ah. Very good at avoiding the subject.

Smitty’s eyes sharpened but his lips curled in a sly smile. “That’ll be five dollars.”

The silver coin glimmered in the sun beside a shining grin. “How does five cents and two rides on that big-ass blue rollercoaster sound instead?”

Smitty plucked up the courage, leaning across the desk – his sly smirk becoming flirtatious.  Go hard or go home, right? “Five cents, _three_ rollercoaster rides _and_ a homemade dinner tomorrow night at seven.”

Blueish-green eyes squinted, smile broad with no intent of refusing. “Why do you think I can cook?”

“It’s a hunch,” he grinned. “Am I wrong?”

“Guess you’ll have to see tomorrow night.” An equally flirty grin. “What’s your name and your number, sugar?”

Smitty didn’t answer, turning and opening up the backdoor of the booth. A girl he didn’t recognise flashed him a grin and stepped up to take his place as he ducked around the back to grab his valuables, before reappearing out the front where the boy waited.

“After one ride, I’ll tell you my name. The second, you’ll get my number. And the third, another kiss.”

The words had that gentle smile pulling back to bear a grin and Smitty held out a hand. Ring-laden fingers curled around his. “What will it cost to spend the rest of the day with you?”

His eyes twinkled, pulling the boy after him as he started down the lane towards squeals of fear and excitement. He glanced back, winking.

“Five dollars.”


End file.
